Care for Tadpoles
A tadpole, or polliwog, is a frog or toad in its larval stage, before it develops legs and sheds its tail. Tadpoles are easy to catch from a local pond or stream, and are available for purchase from many pet stores. However, if you care for tadpoles incorrectly you will kill them before they reach a mature state. If cared for properly, tadpoles will mature into frogs or toads that you can release into the wild or keep as pets.
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Things You'll Need
- Small and medium-sized river rocks
- 50-gallon aquarium
- Leafy freshwater plants
- Stream or pond water
- Lettuce
- Ice cube tray
- Freezer
- Crickets
Instructions
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Place a 4-inch deep layer of small and medium-sized river rocks along the bottom of a 50-gallon aquarium. Tadpoles enjoy a rocky surface beneath the water.
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2
Purchase three to seven leafy freshwater plants from your local pet store and place them throughout the aquarium. This provides the tadpoles with a place to hide and helps oxygenate the water.
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Pour fresh stream or pond water into the aquarium until it is approximately 8 inches deep, or until you cover the leafy aquatic plants. Avoid using water from an area you suspect to be polluted. If you must use tap water, leave the filled aquarium to set in the sun for seven days to remove chlorine.
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Place the tadpoles into the prepared aquarium and keep them in a partially shaded area outdoors. The tadpoles need sunlight to survive.
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Tear up lettuce leaves and combine the shreds with river water in an ice cube tray. Freeze the lettuce cubes for 12 hours before placing one cube into the aquarium for every 10 tadpoles. Feed the tadpoles a lettuce cube twice weekly.
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As the tadpoles' legs begin to develop, begin feeding them live crickets in lieu of the lettuce cubes. Feed two live crickets for every tadpole twice weekly.
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Tips & Warnings
The tadpole's transformation will take between six and 12 weeks. If some tadpoles develop faster than others, separate them into a different aquarium to keep the larger ones from cannibalizing their siblings.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
